It’s also good for business.

Cornell University researchers say workplaces that invest in good eats as well as good places to eat actually get a return on that investment. And what could be better than a home-cooked meal served in the great outdoors?

The Cornell research was focused on firefighter platoons, but the study’s authors say their findings have implications for any organization that wants to enhance team performance. Researchers found that firefighter platoons that eat meals together have better group job performance compared with firefighter teams that dine solo.

“Eating together is a more intimate act than looking over an Excel spreadsheet together. That intimacy spills back over into work,” said the study’s author, Kevin Kniffin, visiting assistant professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in a release. “From an evolutionary anthropology perspective, eating together has a long, primal tradition as a kind of social glue. That seems to continue in today’s workplaces.”

Given the findings, organizations would do better to consider their expenditures on cafeterias as investments in employee performance, Kniffin said.

Over the course of 15 months, Kniffin and his colleagues conducted interviews and surveys in a large city’s fire department, which included more than 50 firehouses. The platoons that ate together most often also got higher marks for their team performance. Conversely, the platoons that did not eat together got lower performance ratings.

In interviews, firefighters said daily group meals were a central activity during their shifts.

In fact, the researchers noted firefighters expressed a certain embarrassment when asked about firehouses where they didn’t eat together. “It was basically a signal that something deeper was wrong with the way the group worked,” Kniffin said.

“Eating Together at the Firehouse: How Workplace Commensality Relates to the Performance of Firefighters” appears in the current issue of Human Performance and is featured in the Harvard Business Review’s December issue.

The study was funded in part by Cornell’s Institute for the Social Sciences.

The post Groups that eat together work better together appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

“That was a different singer, though. I think everyone likes it, so they play it a lot,” I said as we listened to the radio station that plays all holiday music.

Soon one of her favourites began playing. We sang along to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” before we dropped her off at school.

During December, our vehicle’s radio is tuned to Christmas music. Our holiday CDs and music books, along with red and green storage bins filled with all of our decorations, get pulled out of storage. Music puts us in the spirit of the season.

Music can be a learning tool. When we sing the words, we tend to remember them.

Do you remember learning the ABCs set to “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?”

As we enjoy the last weeks of December, here are some health-related reminders set to music by some clever writers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You might find some ideas for New Year’s resolutions in the mix.

The words are set to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Visit the CDC website to listen to or sing along with the song and learn more about these tips.

The 12 ways to health

The first way to health, said the CDC to me — Wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The second way to health, said the CDC to me — Bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The third way to health, said the CDC to me — Manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The fourth way to health, said the CDC to me — Don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The fifth way to health, said the CDC to me — Be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The sixth way to health, said the CDC to me — Fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The seventh way to health, said the CDC to me — Get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The eighth way to health, said the CDC to me — Get your vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The ninth way to health, said the CDC to me — Monitor the children, get your vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The tenth way to health, said the CDC to me — Practise fire safety, monitor the children, get your vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The eleventh way to health, said the CDC to me — Prepare dinner safely, practise fire safety, monitor the children, get your vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

The twelfth way to health, said the CDC to me — Eat well and get moving, prepare dinner safely, practise fire safety, monitor the children, get your vaccinations, get exams and screenings, fasten belts while driving, be smoke free, don’t drink and drive, manage stress, bundle up for warmth, and wash hands to be safe and healthy.

Which ones of the 12 ways do you do on a regular basis? Do you have any goals to set?

Let’s work on the “eat well” part with this tasty snack to enjoy before stepping out to a holiday party. While at the party, remember to stand away from the buffet table and spend most of your time talking. When you need a snack, fill your plate first with vegetables and fruits.

Apple Smiles

• 2 tbsp. smooth peanut butter, or other nut butter
• 1 red apple, cored and sliced into eighths
• 1 green apple, cored and sliced into eighths
• 1 lemon, squeezed (or bottled lemon juice)
• Miniature marshmallows

Rinse apples and cut as directed. Note: If you will not be serving the apples immediately, dip the apple slices in lemon juice. Spread peanut butter or nut butter on one side of each apple slice. Place four to eight miniature marshmallows on the apple slice (for the “teeth”), then top with another apple slice, peanut butter side down. Secure with a toothpick.

Makes eight servings.

The post Try singing the ’12 ways to health’ song appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

This research, carried out by the University of Cambridge suggests that eliminating larger-size portions from the diet completely could reduce energy intake by up to 16 per cent among U.K. adults or 29 per cent among U.S. adults.

Researchers at the Behaviour and Health Research Unit combined results from 61 high-quality studies, capturing data from 6,711 participants, to investigate the influence of portion, package and tableware size on food consumption.

The data showed that people consistently consume more food and drink when offered larger-size portions, packages or tableware than when offered smaller-size versions.

“There has also been a tendency to portray personal characteristics like being overweight or a lack of self-control as the main reason people overeat,” said Dr. Gareth Hollands from the Behaviour and Health Research Unit, who co-led the review.

“In fact, the situation is far more complex. Our findings highlight the important role of environmental influences on food consumption. Helping people to avoid ‘overserving’ themselves or others with larger portions of food or drink by reducing their size, availability and appeal in shops, restaurants and in the home, is likely to be a good way of helping lots of people to reduce their risk of overeating.”

The researchers say actions could be taken to reduce the size, availability or appeal of larger-size portions, packages and tableware. But making smaller portion sizes a reality is likely to require regulation or legislation.

One potential action includes restricting pricing practices whereby larger portion and package sizes cost less in relative (and sometimes absolute) monetary terms than smaller sizes and thus offer greater value for money to consumers; and restricting price promotions on larger portion and package sizes.

“At the moment, it is all too easy — and often better value for money — for us to eat or drink too much,” said Ian Shemilt, who co-led the review. “The evidence is compelling now that actions that reduce the size, availability and appeal of large servings can make a difference to the amounts people eat and drink.”

The post Big plates lead to more ‘waist’ appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The last few days have been a flurry of back-to-school prep, buying school supplies, making lists, getting haircuts and trying on new clothes.

Have you grocery shopped with breakfast in mind too? Unfortunately, that must-have sometimes gets overlooked between all the Duo-Tang and backpack buying.

Nearly one in three (31 per cent) elementary schoolchildren and 62 per cent of high school students don’t eat breakfast, according to Canada’s largest first and largest charity focused on child nutrition, Breakfast for Learning (BFL).

The reasons are many. If parents don’t eat in the morning, the kids in the family generally won’t either. Missed breakfasts can also be due to food insecurity and there just not being enough food in the house to eat in the morning. Other households are just preoccupied with getting everyone out the door, especially if parents work shifts. Some kids also arrive at school hungry after a long bus ride even though they did eat breakfast.

• More ‘RecipeSwap’ from the Manitoba Co-operator: Cheddar Corn Pie, Corn Fritters, Corn Casserole

BFL began two decades ago, after educators red flagged the difficulties they saw among students arriving at school hungry.

The BFL, a charitable organization, today funds programs in every province and territory in Canada. Last year it funded over 2,402 breakfast, lunch and snack programs in 2,113 schools and/or community sites, feeding 251,531 children and youth more than 40 million nourishing meals and snacks.

BFL began in the notable absence of any national government policy or legislation to support, regulate or set standards for the feeding of children at school — a dubious distinction for our country among other developed countries. School food programs of all kinds remain supported by charity today.

In Manitoba, nearly 200 schools also run food programs supported by the Child Nutrition Council, another charitable group operating since 2001. Its programs are now annually feeding about 17,000 students healthy snacks, breakfasts, and balanced light lunch meals and educators say it has made a marked difference in the attentiveness, attitude, mood and behaviour among students.

It seems like a no-brainer, but researchers have studied this, and find a strong link between good nutrition and academic success. Kids taking part in these programs can focus on their studies and, as a result, test scores improve.

The BFL program estimates it costs on average about $10 a day to feed a child a healthy breakfast and snack every day for a week through their program, a number that varies depending on where these schools are located. That’s a pretty small investment to help young people make the most of their day at school.

In anticipation of another school year, and to raise awareness about their program, Breakfast for Learning this fall has launched its Before the Bell, breakfast-by-the-batch recipe booklet with five kid-tested, dietitian-approved recipes. It was created to help families serve healthier, nourishing breakfasts and give their kids a good start to the day.

You can also become a donor to this program, either individually or as a workplace, and there are opportunities to volunteer with programs too.

Here’s one of the recipes included in the Before the Bell recipe booklet. If you like this recipe you can download the entire booklet on the Before the Bell website.

No-Bake Breakfast Bars

Blend the energy boost of high-fibre oats and bran with almonds and the sweetness of honey to fuel up for the day. They are easy to prepare the night before, ready to cut and serve in the morning. Or simply refrigerate and store to grab and go all week long.

• 1-1/2 c. large-flake oats
  1/2 c. chopped almonds (optional)
  1 c. bran flakes
  1/4 c. liquid honey
  1/4 c. peanut or almond butter or non-nut alternative
  1 c. raisins

Toast oats, almonds and bran flakes in a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat until light and golden (approximately five to 10 minutes). Blend and heat honey and nut butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until melted. Add raisins and stir. Pour into oat mixture and mix well. Press mixture into a well-greased 9-inch baking pan. Let one of the kids flatten it — a great wayto get their hands in. Once it’s pressed into bars, refrigerate for at least an hour or until it’s firm. Cut into bars — the more equal the sizes, the happier everyone is! Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Tips

Need a nut butter alternative? Try substituting peanut butter with a tasty nut-free pea butter.

Serve with a low-fat glass of milk and fresh fruit for a balanced breakfast.

If you have a recipe or a column suggestion please write to:

Manitoba Co-operator
Recipe Swap
Box 1794
Carman, Manitoba
R0G 0J0

or email Lorraine Stevenson at: lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

The post Breakfast for Learning programs help kids get ahead in school appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.